Swivel connection



D. L. SAUERHERING.

SWIVEL CONNECTION.

APPLlCATlON FILED MAR. 10. 1920.

Patented Nov. 28, 1922..

ATTORNEYS Patents DOUGLAS 1. SAUERHEBING, 0F

5,1 l, A M i:

WAUSAU, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO WILL W. ALBERS, OF

WAUSAU, WISCONSIN.

SWIVEL CONNECTION.

Application filed March 10, 1920. Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DOUGLAS L. SAUERHER- ING, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wausau, in the county of Marathon and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swivel Connections, of which the following is a. specification.

My present invention relates generally to electric connections and more particularlyto connector for electric cords, my object being the provision of a simple efiective swivel connection for use in electric light and other cords to obviate twisting and tangling and in particular to obviate kinking and breaking, and a further object is the provision of a device of this nature in which pulling strains will be taken up through means clamped to integral portions of wire sections apart from the connected extremities of the wires.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates my invention and forms a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a side view of the complete device,

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section, and

Figure 3 is a sectional end view lookinig at the right hand end of the device as in ig ures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is an end View,

Figures 5 and 6 are detail sections through the connected ends of the wires, and

Figure 7 is a detail cross section taken on line 7-7 of Figure 5.

According to my invention sections of electric light or other cords, as indicated at 10 and 11, are separated adjacent to their ends to be connected in order to expose their individual wrapped wires 12, 13, 14 and 15,

the end of the wire 12 being connected by a;

set screw or like fastening member as at 16 to one end of a metal contact plug 17 rotatably extended within a tube 18, through the opposite constricted end of which tube a pin 19 is movable. Into the outer end of this pin, the wire 13 of cord 11 is secured as by means of a set screw or like fastening member 20, the opposite or inner end of pin 19 being provided with an enlarged head 21 located within the tube 18 and in engagement with the adjacent end of plug 17. Around the pin 191s a coil spring 22 which slightly compressed between the constriated end of the tube 18 and the enlarged head 21 the pressure being suiiicient to maintain engagement between the latter and the plug 17. The ends of the electric cords 10 and 11 are thus spaced apart in their connected relation, and these spacedapart ends are spanned by a pair of tubular sheaths 23 and 24 of insulating material, whose outer ends respectively telescope the adjacent ends of the cords 10 and 11 whose inner ends are in substantially abutting relation between the cord ends and adjacent to 10. For this purpose sheath 24 1s substantially greater in length than sheath 23 so as to receive within its bore the tube 18 with the plug 17 and the contact pin 19 therein.

The outer portions of the 24 are preferably slotted as indicated at 25 and are preferably surrounded by the end portions 26 and 27 of the two metallic swivel holders, one of which has an annular outstanding flange 28 at its inner end supporting an annularly grooved inner ball race 29, and the other of which has an annulus 30 provided with a flange 31 supporting an annularly grooved outer ball race 32 between which and the ball race 29 an annular series of anti-friction balls 33 are disposed and have lateral bearing against portions of both rings. 7 y

The annulus 30 is connected to the tubular portion 26 of its respective swivel member by inclined radiating arms 34,-and clamps 35 and.36 are respectively engaged and adjusted around the slotted outer ends of portions 26 and 27 to securely clamp the outer portions of'the two swivel members to the ends of the cords 10 and 11 so as to thus rigidly engage the cord ends, apart from their extending wires 12, 13, 14 and 15 and take up pulling strains, that is lengthwise of the complete cord, without subjecting the said wire ends thereto.

By reference to Figures 1 and 2 in particular it will be noted that the connections of wires 12 and 13 respectively to the plug 17 and the contact pin 19, are located inwardly beyond the two swivel. supporting clamps 35 and 36, the other ends 14 and 15 of the wires being extended outwardly through the sheaths 23 and 24 and soldered or otherwise rigidly connected to the tubular portions 26 and 27 of the swivel members also at points inwardly beyond the two clamps.

Thus it will be noted that all pulling the end of cord sheaths 23 and strains will be taken up through the ball bearings and that the two sections 10 and 11. of the cord will be free to rotate with respect to one another particularly in view of the fact that both the swivel forming members, to which wires 14 and 15 are connected, and the plug 17 and contact pin 19 to which wires 12 and 13 are connected, have movable engagement in the same transverse plane.

The relief of strain from the wire ends 12 and 13 obviously permits the plug 17 and ball 21 to remain in contact by virtue of the tension of spring 22, as plug 17 cannot, owing to limited flexibility of wire end 12, retract to any considerable extent from the tube 18,

In constructing the connector I propose, the outer metal holders with their ball races may be first assembled. After passing one of the wires, that is the wire 10 or the wire 11, through the assembled metal parts, the wire attaching parts 17 and 18 are assembled within the slotted sheath sections 23 and 24: and these parts are then shifted lengthwise into the metal holders and the clamps and as then tightened so as to secure the parts in the assembled position.

I claim:

1. A swivel connection for axially alined electric cords having their wire ends extending there beyond, consisting of a pair of swivel forming members having outer tubu= lar portions and inner opposing flanged portions, ball races supported in opposing relation bysaid flanged portions, an annular series of balls between said races, a pair of tubular insulating sheaths axially alined within the swivel members and having por- ,ess

tions surrounding the cord sections within the tubular portions of the swivel members, clamps around the tubular portions of the swivel members for clamping the same and the said sheaths to the cord sections, said sheaths being provided with openings through which certain of the extending wires of the cord sections project outwardly for connection to said swivel members, a tube in one of the sheaths, and a plug and a contact pin engaging one disposed in the tube, and to which the other wires of the said cord sections are connected as described.

2. A swivel connection for axially alined electric cord sections having extended wire ends, which consists of swivel forming members,clamps connecting said members at their outer ends to the cord sections and inwardly beyond which'clamps the said wire ends project, said swivel members having inner oposing and anti-friction bearing means between and connecting said inner portions of said swivel members, tubular insulating sheaths connected to the cord sections and extending through thesaid swivel members in axially alined endwise abutting relation, said sheaths having openings through which certain of the wire ends project outwardl for connection to the swivel membersat points inwardly beyond the "clamped portions of the wires, and connecting means within and protected by the said sheaths for the other wires of the cord sections, said last named means including revolubly engaged parts.

DOUGLAS" L; SAUERHERINGQ another and revolubly relatively rotatable portions, 

